What’s up?
Let me just start by thanking you for even beginning to reading this, as it’s been quite some time since this account has been used for anything. I want to clear a few things up for those of you who still may be wondering if we ever really broke up…
Well, yes and no.
There was never any real, official decision, no announcements, no last big show (we truthfully couldn’t even pull that together) and for that I apologize, most of that was on me.
Going way back to when all this began (or ended) I got a phone call from Erik asking me if we could meet up and talk. We hadn’t practiced in a while, or even really seen each other, and before we met up I kind of knew what was happening.
I found him in Barnes and Noble hunched over a big book, and I sat down across from him. He told me he was studying for the ASVAB and was planning on joining the Navy, and that he couldn’t be a part of The Starlight Getaway anymore. Honestly, at first the Navy thing was the biggest shock to me, but in a lot of ways it wasn’t. Like all of us, I think he felt the stagnation and couldn’t handle it anymore. Anyways, he ships out October 30th and you should go to his Facebook or text him or whatever you want and wish him well on this new adventure, I’m really proud of him.
After this I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted and what I didn’t, and at the time I was burnt out on playing music and often felt like I wasn’t really cut out for everything that came along with it. I never really met with the rest of my band mates (all of whom I think about on a daily basis), I never tried to pick things back up, and since then the entity that was TSG has just continued to dissolve.
In the meantime, I think we all started doing different things. This past spring I applied for an internship with Warner Music Group in NYC and, with some luck and persistence, was able to secure it. So that’s where I was headed. However, I woke up one morning to a text from my friend Mark from the band Junior Doctor who, if you are at all familiar with the Brevard music scene, you have undoubtedly heard of.
They needed a fill in for some acoustic dates, and I wanted to help, so Mark and I began to practice and I learned their songs. These few acoustic dates ended up turning into a month on the Warped Tour, as well as a few-week-long club tour with some other great bands. I made loads of new friends and learned a wealth of incredible things about the constantly evolving music world (and about myself) that I had never even begun to consider with TSG.
In some ways, this experience restored that spark in me that knew music wasn’t good enough lingering on my backburner as “just a hobby” (as my lovely girlfriend so fervently assures me). However, it wasn’t until making the move up to NYC, and realizing how the other side of the industry works, that I was able to fully make that realization.
As for me, I don’t know what’s next, but I know I want to make music again. More than anything, I really want to take this time to let you all know just how grateful I am for all the love and support we received over the years, I never said so until now and I’m sorry. I hope this post doesn’t come off as presumptuous, as I simply just wanted to catch anyone who may be wondering up to speed on what’s been going on.
I also wanted to post the last song we did, as it never really saw the light of day and I think it deserves to. You can check it out below.
As for new music, though I can’t say anything for certain, I have a massive collection of demos that just keep piling up on my computer, and I’m really hoping to turn them into some sort of new project. If you want, you can check out a few of those demos at christianlopetz.com.
So I’ll let this post serve as a thank you, an apology, and a placeholder until the next time I write on here (which will be soon I think).
Thank you all again for everything,
Christian
